The Official Argue About Where Upstate NY Is Thread

[BmillsSkier]

We covered the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area a page ago.

See? This is becoming a one stop shop thread.

[Benny Profane]

Hickory hasn't been open for years. The co-op went under about '04, sat dormant, and then some dude with some play money bought it, but the weather just didn't co operate for his first four or five years. I don't think it's opened since, but haven't paid much attention lately. Only got one day there. It was an intense, steep hill with launcher pumas. It needed snow, but, if the snow was good, I'd drive a half hour further to Gore, which is a much better experience.

[DBdude]

the poma lift was a blast, as was the cabin at the top of the hill

what is funny is how steep I thought it was in high school and when I came back years later not being quite as impressed

I believe some people have been pruning lines there.

[ötzi]

We covered the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area a page ago.

Yeah but I didn't weigh in. There is something about those two towns, and that valley, that's like worse than decayed, it's menacing. I always feel like I'm coming into Mordor. I don't know what it is, something about coal and steel and decay and rust and... yikes. Always looks better in the rearview.

[m2711c]

that thing was fucking fast.....

[DBdude]

look at that!

that is the bottom poma. the top poma was faster with moguls in the track. you could launch going up and down the hill

back in the day pico had a similarly gnarly poma

[ex-powderbroker]

Haha, that's one way to look at it I suppose. I had some good turns at Hickory Hill about 15 years ago, do they still turn the surface lift on at that place from time to time? They have a place near Loon Lake, I skied at Gore a lot as a kid, and Oscar's bacon is part of my genetic makeup.

I always preferred the areas further north and in the High Peaks: it felt that much colder and more isolated.

hickory is done forever, warrensburg may be peak upstate.

got any pix?

i miss that place so much.

[DBdude]

i used to drink at a bar called the brew and stew in Warrensburg - it was a dive

the guy that owned it had a place in Lake George called Tops on main street - it was awesome

[Benny Profane]

I lived in Amsterdam for 3 months in 2012. Felt pretty upstate. That whole region, the northern Mohawk Valley just south of ADK park, Amsterdam, Johnstown, Gloversville, is pretty rough. Gets better closer to Albany. Schenectady is not a prize though.

Richard Russo has written some great stuff about that region. He grew up in Gloversville. It's kind of striking how fast all of those towns died. They were busy, vibrant places in the 60s to early 70s, then, just, poof, all the industry was gone. Like I said, no time to transition to ghetto. No minorities anyway. The people who I worked with in Saratoga would describe Schenectady in the same period, and thousands would pile out of the GE factory and that locomotive manufacturer on the other side of town, and it was one big party. Now, nuthin'.

Russell Banks has written a lot of great stuff about that upstate world, too.

[DBdude]

Richard Russo has written some great stuff about that region. He grew up in Gloversville. It's kind of striking how fast all of those towns died. They were busy, vibrant places in the 60s to early 70s, then, just, poof, all the industry was gone. Like I said, no time to transition to ghetto. No minorities anyway. The people who I worked with in Saratoga would describe Schenectady in the same period, and thousands would pile out of the GE factory and that locomotive manufacturer on the other side of town, and it was one big party. Now, nuthin'.

Russell Banks has written a lot of great stuff about that upstate world, too.

Nobody's Fool written by Russo and made into a movie with Paul Newman

The Russel Banks book Sweet Hereafter was heart breaking and made into a movie

[ötzi]

Schenectady, the main drag looks pretty good, that theatre there, I can't remember the name of it, all renovated and nice. GE supports the area, they want it to look decent so people won't point at GE for destroying it. Which it pretty much did. Away from there it's on the desolate side although it's not a bad drive to Albany so it hasn't completely dried up and blown away. A lot of classic buildings available for short money.

[Benny Profane]

Yeah, Sweet Hereafter and Affliction both made it to film. Not happy stories.

[DBdude]

Schenectady, the main drag looks pretty good, that theatre there, I can't remember the name of it, all renovated and nice. GE supports the area, they want it to look decent so people won't point at GE for destroying it. Which it pretty much did. Away from there it's on the desolate side although it's not a bad drive to Albany so it hasn't completely dried up and blown away. A lot of classic buildings available for short money.

when Union College gives directions for campus visits, the directions avoid the worst parts of schenectady

[m2711c]

look at that!

that is the bottom poma. the top poma was faster with moguls in the track. you could launch going up and down the hill

back in the day pico had a similarly gnarly poma

the bottom was a t-bar. the t-bar was free and you could ride it up to the lodge from the parking lot to buy your ticket. I fucking loved that place. Hudge moguls and $1 hot dogs. byob.

[BmillsSkier]

the bottom was a t-bar. the t-bar was free and you could ride it up to the lodge from the parking lot to buy your ticket. I fucking loved that place. Hudge moguls and $1 hot dogs. byob.

This sounds like my kind of place.

[gravitylover]

No all my shit is in Utah, I went out there a couple times. I brought hockey skates but didn't get much use out of them, it was a weird warm winter in the east that year. Or at least in the northern Mohawk Valley it was.

That winter was so fucked up. Mt biking in t shirts on Xmas Eve, 60's for most of January and I had 5" of snow for the whole winter if you didn't include the 17" that shut down Halloween 2 weeks after we got slammed by Hurricane Irene.

[Skidog]

Since you asked, both my parents went to University of Scranton for undergrad, and my dad still has family in Wilkes-Barre. My mom had to get evac'd off a chairlift at Elk Mountain during an ice storm and never skied again.

I have lots of close friends that graduated uni of Scranton. That town could fucking party.. lots of bars. That was in the early 90s though.

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[BC.]

I have lots of close friends that graduated uni of Scranton. That town could fucking party.. lots of bars. That was in the early 90s though.

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The “U”....lol

All those bars ur remembering are all basically gone....people still party though.

[retirwntm]

Da U!!! Tinks...if you know you know.


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[glademaster]

This sounds like my kind of place.

Hickory Hill was stellar, when there was enough snow, which happened about twice every three years. I did ski there on a pair of Spatulas one day, and their use was justified. Not exactly a ski that you can relax on a surface lift with though.

I have lots of close friends that graduated uni of Scranton. That town could fucking party.. lots of bars. That was in the early 90s though.

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Yeah, they graduated around 1980. Sounded like it was a bit of a party town then too.

[BC.]

Da U!!! Tinks...if you know you know.


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Yeah, that’s gone.

[retirwntm]

Haha I know. I took a cruise in town last time I was home. Things were different.


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[BC.]

Haha I know. I took a cruise in town last time I was home. Things were different.


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Yeah...can’t bar hop all night then drive home like the good old days....the 90’s were a good time.

[smartyiak]

Richard Russo has written some great stuff about that region. He grew up in Gloversville. It's kind of striking how fast all of those towns died. They were busy, vibrant places in the 60s to early 70s, then, just, poof, all the industry was gone. Like I said, no time to transition to ghetto. No minorities anyway. The people who I worked with in Saratoga would describe Schenectady in the same period, and thousands would pile out of the GE factory and that locomotive manufacturer on the other side of town, and it was one big party. Now, nuthin'.

Russell Banks has written a lot of great stuff about that upstate world, too.

I spend a good portion of two years traveling around PA.'s old oil towns: Oil City, Titusville, Franklin, etc. Just like that. Always thought it was strange how a few of the towns became sort of artsy/touristy and the rest just died...they're all kinda the same, so why was one spared...and, just up the road, another was a ghost town?

[Peruvian]

I spend a good portion of two years traveling around PA.'s old oil towns: Oil City, Titusville, Franklin, etc. Just like that. Always thought it was strange how a few of the towns became sort of artsy/touristy and the rest just died...they're all kinda the same, so why was one spared...and, just up the road, another was a ghost town?

Ummm....the residents?!?!?! Some cared and had some level of means to help and others didn't.